Help!!! OEM or Retail Barton 2500???

[BigxGuy7]

What's the difference between the two? I get the 3 year warranty and fan with the retail version dont I? Isnt that better to get or is the OEM better because i can overclock it? Please Help!!!

 

[waylman]

retail comes with fan and heatsink and 3yr warranty
OEM comes with no fan and heatsink and short warranty
Get retail if you dont want to OC
Get OEM if you are OC'ing. Just buy a good fan and heatsink for it.

 

[BigxGuy7]

would i not be able to get the warranty if i OC it or something? Just curious, but how would they know?

 

[Blain]

The stock Barton HS isn't anything to write home about. The bottom is rough as a cob. If the price difference is small, get the retail version. If not, go with the OEM and your own HS.

 

[Hardtarget]

if you overclock you run the risk of damaging the chip forever, hence you might as well get the cheaper version (OEM). If you're not going to overclock just get teh retail. AMD's heatsink/fans are... ok. With a P4 i would recommend the stock fan/heatsink to anybody but not with the AMDs.

 

[Blain]

:Q Look HERE to see the bottom of a 2500+ Barton retail HS :Q

Would you want that thing next to your CPU?

BTW, It IS as rough as it looks.

 

[HappyCracker]

Stock Barton HSF isn't the best in the world, but it's not bad at all. Much better than their previous attempts. If you overclock, that voids your warranty. Don't be one of those lamers who kills their chip and sends it back because, "It just didn't work." Also, if you get the retail version and don't use that phase-change thermal stuff on the bottom of the HSF, you void your warranty.

 

[Cogman]

BTW, just a side note, please dont post in all caps, it is very annoying and it make most people think that the poster is a complete idiot.

 

[Corporate Thug]

i'd get the retail. i dont ever use stock HSF, but it's good to have and the 3 yr warrrenty is worth the extra few bucks

 

[momento]

The question is still, how do they (amd) know whether the chip was overclocked or really didn't work? Are we talking about an overclocked chip will always be seriously burnt and thus leaving a distinct physical damage? How do they exclude the cause of chip failure ?

 

[BigxGuy7]

That's exactly what i wanted to know. I might just go with the Retail because i don't need the speed increase that much so 3 yr warranty is cool. But what is everyone talking about if i use phase change thermal stuff on the bottom? Im planning on using Arctic Silver III. That's ok right?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: momento
The question is still, how do they (amd) know whether the chip was overclocked or really didn't work? Are we talking about an overclocked chip will always be seriously burnt and thus leaving a distinct physical damage? How do they exclude the cause of chip failure ?

It's not a question of wether they know you overclocked or not but of personal integrity and honor. Many of us feel that if you want to play you gotta be willing to pay and people who RMA their dead CPUs that died due to warranty voiding activity are scum. All the arguments about how it's not really stealing because it's a large corporation and they are evil are lost on me and in the end the rest of us pay more because of the scumbags who do it. This concludes my lecture to the ethically impaired

 

[momento]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: momento
The question is still, how do they (amd) know whether the chip was overclocked or really didn't work? Are we talking about an overclocked chip will always be seriously burnt and thus leaving a distinct physical damage? How do they exclude the cause of chip failure ?

It's not a question of wether they know you overclocked or not but of personal integrity and honor. Many of us feel that if you want to play you gotta be willing to pay and people who RMA their dead CPUs that died due to warranty voiding activity are scum. All the arguments about how it's not really stealing because it's a large corporation and they are evil are lost on me and in the end the rest of us pay more because of the scumbags who do it. This concludes my lecture to the ethically impaired

The point of the question is (technical rather than being ethical),out of curiosity, is it possible for amd to differentiate a chip's failure whether it is due to overclocking or some other manufacturing problems ? No one is trying to cheat here.

 

[BigxGuy7]

I agree. It was a little hasty of you to jump on momento right away like that punisher

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Curiosity? Yeah right!

What possible practical application could such information be put to other than to help abuse the warranty? The data being sought here is irrelevant if you do not intend to abuse the information so it was a logical deduction and I make no appologies for being brash enough to confront the issue head on. Applying AS3 will void your warranty, overclocking will void your warranty, asking how they would know is a lame attempt to determine if voiding the warranty can be gotten away with so as to abuse the terms and still receive a replacement in the event that the CPU is nuked. IMO A far more logical deduction than curiosity when the subject of the thread pertains to reasons to choose either a OEM or retail version. Can you offer a more compelling or less disreputable reason than simple curiosity? One that does not result in the potential to abuse the warranty and that would still be pertinent to the topic of OEM vs retail?

A. You've been told the retail cooler is unimpressive
B. You know the OEM is less expensive and that you'll require an after market cooler
C. The persistance in wanting a definitive answer on the subject of how AMD determines how the CPU failed is therefore inherently suspicous and this is the internet where warez and other illegal activities are rampant

 

[TheInvincibleMustard]

So, if instead of using the retail HSF I use a better one, with better TIM, my warranty is voided? That's like putting Premium gasoline in your car when you only buy it with Regular ... it makes no sense ...

 

[TheInvincibleMustard]

So, if instead of using the retail HSF I use a better one, with better TIM, my warranty is voided? That's like putting Premium gasoline in your car when you only buy it with Regular ... it makes no sense ...

 

[Megatomic]

If you are not putting together a system to put into production I'd choose neither of those options and go for Option #3: buy a used one in the FS/FT forum. You get a serious discount buying one used and you might even get assurance that the CPU will o/c if you ask the previous owner how it went. This is what I do many times.

If you are putting together a system to put into production I'd buy a PIB and use the stock HSF to ensure proper warranty service.

 

[HappyCracker]

Well that's how the warranty game works. You use their PROVIDED equipment or void the warranty. They don't know whether or not the cooler you use sucks or not. Chances are (I've never had to RMA anything) they won't want your whole computer. Computers are in no way like cars. Car parts have to be replaced, sometimes by you, the owner. Cars are designed for a much broader range of environmental extremes. Computers are meant to be set in a case and run stock. Why do you think Intel doesn't allow much overclocking if any on their motherboards? They don't do it to be dicks. They know stupid people will get ahold of it and not know what they're doing.
I know I voided my warranty. Yes, I've played with the clock settings, but each time I find myself going back to what it's supposed to be out of the fact I won't have to worry. I don't use their phase-change TIM either. If the thing fries, it's my fault, but I accept that.
They lay out the rules when you get the chip (I know it came with the retail version), in a little white booklet. It's like the EULA for a piece of software.

 

[mechBgon]

• AMD doesn't forbid short-term use of thermal grease for validation and testing purposes. For long-term "production" use, the phase-change stuff is what they expect you to use in order to retain your warranty. It resists pump-out & dry-out, and melts to fit imperfections () in heatsinks and CPU cores.
• Overclock, and AMD is released of any warranty obligation to you.
• The retail heatsink that came with my own 2500+ happens to be an all-copper unit that's nickel-plated. The bottom is not very smooth, nope. But if they want to warranty it for three years with this HSF, that's what counts, right? Personally, I said "heck with that, I'm voiding my warranty and using my lovely Alpha PAL8045! "
• Even if you plan to OC, or plan to void your warranty in other ways, sometimes the stock HSF is worth the small bump in price just so you have a spare SocketA HSF laying around (right DAPUNISHER? ). I think I'm going to give mine to a pal of mine, with my ol' 1700+ and some other stuff he could use for college.

 

[momento]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Curiosity? Yeah right!

What possible practical application could such information be put to other than to help abuse the warranty? The data being sought here is irrelevant if you do not intend to abuse the information so it was a logical deduction and I make no appologies for being brash enough to confront the issue head on. Applying AS3 will void your warranty, overclocking will void your warranty, asking how they would know is a lame attempt to determine if voiding the warranty can be gotten away with so as to abuse the terms and still receive a replacement in the event that the CPU is nuked. IMO A far more logical deduction than curiosity when the subject of the thread pertains to reasons to choose either a OEM or retail version. Can you offer a more compelling or less disreputable reason than simple curiosity? One that does not result in the potential to abuse the warranty and that would still be pertinent to the topic of OEM vs retail?

A. You've been told the retail cooler is unimpressive
B. You know the OEM is less expensive and that you'll require an after market cooler
C. The persistance in wanting a definitive answer on the subject of how AMD determines how the CPU failed is therefore inherently suspicous and this is the internet where warez and other illegal activities are rampant

Alright, alright, if you really think someone is going to abuse the answer to that question, you could have just answered with "i don't really know how they do it but AMD has certain testing equipment that can detect circuitry damage caused by oc'ing due to overload or heating" (if you really want to protect the interest of amd and honest consumer regardless of whether you know the answer to the question or not). That would be a much better deterrent to scare people from oc'ing and return the fried chip to amd. Well, instead, you answered a simple question with all your ethical crap. Well done....really, way to go.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

You speak as wisely as ever Mech and yes, I immediately voided my warranty and sold my retail cooler with no hesitation. As to my previous posts in this thread, with a screen name like The Punisher no one should be surprised I have a problem with the guilty going unpunished :evil:

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: momento

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Curiosity? Yeah right!

What possible practical application could such information be put to other than to help abuse the warranty? The data being sought here is irrelevant if you do not intend to abuse the information so it was a logical deduction and I make no appologies for being brash enough to confront the issue head on. Applying AS3 will void your warranty, overclocking will void your warranty, asking how they would know is a lame attempt to determine if voiding the warranty can be gotten away with so as to abuse the terms and still receive a replacement in the event that the CPU is nuked. IMO A far more logical deduction than curiosity when the subject of the thread pertains to reasons to choose either a OEM or retail version. Can you offer a more compelling or less disreputable reason than simple curiosity? One that does not result in the potential to abuse the warranty and that would still be pertinent to the topic of OEM vs retail?

A. You've been told the retail cooler is unimpressive
B. You know the OEM is less expensive and that you'll require an after market cooler
C. The persistance in wanting a definitive answer on the subject of how AMD determines how the CPU failed is therefore inherently suspicous and this is the internet where warez and other illegal activities are rampant

Alright, alright, if you really think someone is going to abuse the answer to that question, you could have just answered with "i don't really know how they do it but AMD has certain testing equipment that can detect circuitry damage caused by oc'ing due to overload or heating" (if you really want to protect the interest of amd and honest consumer regardless of whether you know the answer to the question or not). That would be a much better deterrent to scare people from oc'ing and return the fried chip to amd. Well, instead, you answered a simple question with all your ethical crap. Well done....really, way to go.

Hmmmm.....Interesting, you would prefer I prevaricate and fabricate an answer instead of giving a straight forward and honest response then refer to my belief concerning the importance of ethics as crap. Thank you for confirming that my low estimation of what prompted the question was indeed well founded.